


What do you plan to do now?

by Pink_Dreamboy



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Brotherly Love, Coming Out, Ed's a good older brother, Edward Elric Swears, Fluff, Gay Al, Happy Ending, Not Beta Read
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-22
Updated: 2019-04-22
Packaged: 2020-01-23 21:08:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18557893
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pink_Dreamboy/pseuds/Pink_Dreamboy
Summary: On their way back to Resembool, Al accidentally come out to Ed and his brother is a lot cooler with it than he though he would be.





	What do you plan to do now?

To say that the Elric brothers had been though a lot would be an understatement. Not only everything that happened with the homunculi, Father, and the promise day but also after. Both brothers spent a few trying months in the hospital and even though Ed was released a lot earlier than Al, he spent most of his time by his brother’s side to the chagrin of the nurses. Now that Al was well enough to travel both boys agreed that they were more than ready to get as far away from the Central City hospital as soon as possible. All of Mustang’s command as well as Armstrong went to see the boys off at the train station and even though they all knew that this wasn’t really ‘goodbye’ that didn’t stop the tears that came. Armstrong face was streaming with tears as grabbed them both in a fierce hug. Falman kept trying to discreetly wipe away his tears with a handkerchief while Fuery had given up on such discretion; crying freely with a shy smile on his face. Even Breda could be seen swiping at his eyes a couple times. The ones that seemed to hold it together the best were Havoc, whose eyes were red rimmed as he gave a nonchalant ‘see you later, chief’; Hawkeye, whose eyes were just as watery as her smile; and the Brigadier General himself who, if Ed hadn’t tuned back at the time he did, would have gotten away with the single tear that rolled down his cheek . 

That had been this morning. It was now well into the afternoon and the compartment they were sitting in had completely emptied: not many travelers heading as far east as they were. Ed sat across from him with his head propped up with his hand gazing out the window. A small smile on his face as he looked out at the rolling hills around them. Al closed his book, using his thumb as a place holder, as he squirmed, trying to get comfortable. Now that he could feel the hard train bench under him, he honestly had know idea how Ed had managed to sit- let alone sleep - on them for as long as he did throughout their travels. He glanced up at his brother and smiled. Now that they’ve gotten their bodies back, Ed seemed content. He no longer held the tension in his shoulders like a bow pulled taut- ready to strike any impending danger. He seemed happy to take things slow, relishing in the small day to day stuff. Like he had taken this languid approach on life now that it was no longer moving at a breakneck pace. Al was quick to admit, especially to Ed himself, that seeing his brother like this made him happy. If he hadn’t known better he’d even say that his brother seemed almost care free but he knew with everything they had seen that those types of demons- demons that had lead to many sleepless nights for both brothers- never truly went away. Feeling eyes on him, Ed shifted his focus to Al.

“Alright, Al?” Ed asked, giving him a lopsided grin.

“What do you plan to do now Brother?” It was a question he’d been thinking about for a while now. Ed hummed, prompting him to clarify. “I mean, now that you don’t have the military or alchemy-“ Al winced, mentally kicking himself. Even though Ed kept saying it was fine, the wistful look his brother’s face would sometimes get when talking about alchemy made Al feel bad whenever he mentioned it. “what do you want to do now that we’re going home?” Home. The word felt pleasant and warm. They had always come back to Resembool and they knew that, in the end, that was the place they’d always return to. They had a home there with Granny and Winry and Den and even though they came back occasionally while on their journey (usually whenever Ed wrecks his automail) this time felt different. It felt like for the first time they were truly going home. With the unsaid promise of being able to live a regular, mundane, small town life- something they hadn’t had the pleasure of experiencing since they were kids.

Ed sat back. Eyebrows furrowing as he gave his answer some thought. “Well-“ he began, a light dusting of pink coloring his cheeks. “I always thought it would be nice to, y’know, get a girlfriend.” Al watched as Ed’s eyes closed and a dreamy look took over his brother’s features; looking as if he’d fallen head first into a fantasy of his possible future. “Maybe get married and in the future have some kids.” His brother’s smile widened at that last part; particularly pleased with the thought of having children. Ed’s eyes open then as he shrugged, if to show that it wasn’t really a big deal.

Al hadn’t even considered Ed wanting to settle down. It was something that they never talked about but that wasn’t too surprising. It had seemed like there was this weird unspoken rule they had in which they didn’t talk about what they would do when their quest was over. Of course they talked about the smaller things offhandedly- casually talking about places they’d return to, that- maybe- Al could get a cat, and the list of foods Al wanted to try once he got his body back- but nothing significant, especially nothing as big as their possible future significant others and subsequent families. As if they didn’t want to jinx anything by making concrete plans; giving themselves false hope of a future they weren’t sure they would live long enough to see. But the more Al though about it, the more his brother’s want to settle down made sense. They had been traveling, alone, for years and in constant danger. He could see the appeal of wanting somewhere and someone that made him feel safe. He also knew that his brother, despite everything, had a need to prove that he wasn’t anything like their father; need to show that he could be a much better one. And there was no doubt in Al’s mind that, given their own tumultuous childhood, Ed would do everything in his power to give his future children a decent one. That was when a thought occurred to him. Al leaned forward giving his brother a devilish smirk, mischief gleaming in his eyes.

“Finally going to ask Winry out?” He asked, eyebrows waggling. His grin grew wider as Ed gave an indigent squawk. Flustered, Ed couldn’t do anything more than flail and try to wildly pull sentences together as to why he wouldn’t want to date that ‘gearhead’. Giving up on trying to argue, Ed sighed and slumped back in he seat.

“I’m that obvious huh?” He asked, bringing his hand to up to rub the back of his neck awkwardly and purposely not looking at his younger bother.The light pink from before blooming into a much deeper blush. He gave an unamused snort. “Its no use, the ol’ Gearhead probably doesn’t like me back anyway.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Al groaned incredulously. He wanted to scream. He had witnessed his brother and Winry dancing around their feelings for each other for years and he was tired of it. Book still in hand, he threw his hands up in exasperation. “ You’re absolutely hopeless- both of you!”

Ed, desperate to change the topic asked,“Well, what do you plan to do Al?” 

Al, making sure to mark his place, set his book down and sat back in his seat, arms folded over his chest. He hummed in thought. “I don’t know” he stated plainly. Then he glanced over at his crutches and grimaced. He was very thankful to have them, allowing him to walk more than a couple yards independently. Hell, he was thankful to be walking at all and not in a wheelchair but that didn’t mean he had to like them. “I still have a bit to go before I’m 100% better, and who knows how long it will be before I am.” Noticing his brother’s frown, he flashed him a smile that he thought would convey that he was fine and hadn’t lost hope yet. “Who knows maybe by that time, I’ll have gone stir crazy and want to travel or maybe I’ll be like you brother” He closed his eyes like Ed had, Imagining the future. “I I could find a boyfriend. Settle down.” It took him a minute to realize what he had just said but when he did he shot up, eyes going wide. Did he really just say that? Had he just accidentally admit to his brother that he liked boys? He could feel his heart rate quicken and his palms going clammy. An awful gnawing sensation in the pit of his stomach. He scanned Ed, looking for any sign of reaction to his casual admittance to not being straight, but there surprisingly were none that Al could see. Ed had gone back to how he was before, head propped up on hand, gazing out the window with a content smile on his face. And the younger boy had no idea if that was a good sign or not.

“That sounds really great Al,” Ed said, his voice light as if his thoughts are a million miles away. Al almost sighed in relief as he wiped his damp hands on his pants. He decided that either his brother was being really cool about this or, and he secretly hoped this was the case, Ed hadn’t heard him. Now, it wasn’t like he was never going to tell him he was gay. He had every intention of telling his brother- he never really planned on when but he knew it certainly wasn’t now, on a train, in the middle of nowhere, on their way home. He anxiously waited a little bit longer to see if Ed would say anything else to him but when the older boy made no move to talk, seemly nothing else to say on the matter, Al willed the last bits of dread to leave his body. He was half tempted to pick up his book again when-

“oh and Al?” 

Crap. His heart feels like its going to beat out of his chest and his stomach is doing summersaults as Ed levels him with a fierce gaze; a protective fire burning in his honey colored eyes. “If I ever hear about a guy even thinking about hurting you I’m kicking his ass from here all the way to Drachma, got it?” So his brother had heard him. Stunned, Al had no idea what to say.

“Brother, I can protect myself” He hears himself say. it sounded almost nonchalant with maybe even a little hint of exasperation at his brother’s theatrics and he mentally high-fived himself for pulling that off.

“I know you can Al!” Ed certainly didn’t doubt his little brother’s capability to defend himself. If their occasional light sparring (all the nurses had hated it) was any indication, it wouldn’t be long until Al was again stronger than him. Pretty soon, Ed’s only upper hand would be the stamina he’d gain from years of fighting that Al hadn’t need as a suit of armor. “But Im your big brother and-“

“Edddddd!”

Ed threw his hands up in an appeasing gesture. “Alright Alright. But don’t expect me not to be second in line to beat the bastard up.” 

Al rolled his eyes but there was no malice in it. In reality he felt like he was having a hard time breathing and it seemed like he couldn’t convince his heart to stop stuttering. He couldn’t believe he was even having this conversation. It seemed so ridiculous! Al felt like he needed some convincing that - yes- he and his older brother were in fact talking about his hypothetical future boyfriend and it wasn’t all just some weird dream. He shook his head, feeling the laughter bubbling out of him before he had the chance to stop it. He threw his head back helpless to the raucous laughter that escape from him and his arms came around his middle as if trying to hold himself together. He felt giddy- borderline hysterical- after the whirlwind of emotions he’d just got through. Once, he finally got himself to calm down he wiped the tears from his eyes, feeling nothing but overwhelming relief. Relief that he no longer had this secret to hide from his brother and- well now, he actually felt guilty for even thinking it but- he was relieved to find that Ed apparently didn’t have a problem with his sexuality. He knew that he really had nothing to worry about but there was always this little thought in the back of his mind of ‘what if?’ that no amount of rationale could get rid of. 

“Thanks Ed” he said sincerely.

“Al, what are you talking about?” Al knew that tone. That was his brother’s ‘stop being an idiot’ tone.

“For being fine with me being… you know.”

“Alphonse” the older drawled. “You can say the word gay. There’s noting wrong with it and if anyone says otherwise they can get a taste of my cold, automail foot.”

“Brother!”

They sat in silence for a moment. Ed looked down at his hand and picked at the nails there. “Anyway, I already knew.” 

“WHAT?!” There was no way Ed had known. Al himself had only known for about a year and everything with the homunculi and the promise day it wasn’t like he had time to ever really think about it. So how was it that Ed knew?

“Of course I knew! I’ve known for a while but i was just waiting for you to tell me”

“I don’t believe you”

“I’m serious!”

“how’d you know then?” Al asked in disbelief. He would be lying if he said he wasn’t worried about what his brother would say. Had Ed only known because of how close the two were or had he really been that obvious. Did other people know? Ed sighed and turned in his seat, back against the window, bringing his flesh leg up on to the bench while his automail leg stayed firmly planted on the floor.

Ed reached up and pulled the tie out of his hair. “Well I always knew you were different Al- well actually that sound bad- not diff- no-“ He huffed in irritation blowing his bangs out of his face. “Ah you know what I mean. Anyway, i knew you were different, especially after that time we were playing dress up? Remember? When you were wearing mom’s apron like a dress and heels?” He hastily scooped up his loose hair and tying it in a tight ponytail. His newly regained right hand still not dexterous enough to plait in its usual braid.

“So your telling me that you knew i was gay because i wore mom’s heels once?’” deadpanned Al. His brother could not be serious. “Because i distinctly remember it was you-“

“Nah I’m just messin’ with you Al it wasn’t that.” Ed chuckled. “It was- I don’t know- the little things I guess. It was this look in your eye you would get when we played with certain boys or the way you would look at them especially when you thought no one was watching you- it wasn’t weird! I promise” He added hastily seeing Al’s distressed face. “And the fact that your interest in girls was just different than the rest of the boys y’know? The only time you had seem remotely interested in girls that way was when you you said you wanted to marry Winry”

Al groaned at the memory. “Are you done yet?” he asked warily.

“Oh no I think the thing that tipped me off the most was your obsession with- what was his name- Chris- Chris- something”

“Topher? Christopher Fairview?”

“Yep thats the one!”

“I wasn’t obsessed. He was just a friend.” Al felt a blush take over his cheeks like a wildfire. He certainly did remember Topher, a boy his age that had chocolate colored hair, bright green eyes, an endearing crooked tooth smile, and a face full of freckles. Topher’s father was the local cobbler and his mother would moonlight as a barmaid on occasion when money was tight and she had to feed her 3 children. When Al had knew him, the dark haired boy had dreams of becoming a performer and moving to a big city to escape his destiny to follow his father’s footsteps. Al had half a mind to go to the cobbler once they got home to see if Topher accomplished his dream.

“Sure he was Al,” Sarcasm coloring Ed’s voice. “It was always ’Topher this-‘ and ’Topher that-‘ and ‘Topher and me-‘“ Ed pitched his voice up trying to mimic a younger Alphonse. “And when we started alchemy you would make him gifts all the time.”

“We made gifts for Winry all the time,” Al grumbled knowing he probably wasn’t helping his case. And he knew with the look his brother was giving him, that Ed agreed. “He was just a friend, brother.”

Ed’s face split into a cheshire grin that made Al wary. The elder of the two turned and leaned over the table between them. “If he was only a friend, how do you explain the time I caught you, by the creek, drawing hearts in the sand and putting yours and his initials in them?” And oh Al thought he was blushing earlier. But now, his face was as warm as an inferno and there was no doubt he was redder than a pomegranate. He had done that, hadn’t he? That memory of him by the river had been a long forgotten one but it was clear as day, now that Ed had brought it up. 

“Ugh I hate you,” Al groaned burying his face in his hands.

“No you don’t.”

“Yes I do you’re an absolutely awful brother,” A smile tugging at his lips.

“Oh but would an awful brother get you this?” Ed made a flourish of pulling a scrap of paper from his coat pocket and triumphantly pushed it towards his younger brother.

Al’s face crinkled in confusion looking at number printed in neat script on the paper. “What’s this?” 

“That, Alphonse, is the number of that one male nurse you seemed to like so much.”

“Edward,” breathed Al, scandalized. “You didn’t. Brother!” At least his brother had the decency to look sheepish. If he wasn’t currently suffering from second hand embarrassment from his brother’s actions Al would have loved to hear about the, no doubt very awkward, encounter between Ed and the sweet red headed nurse back in central. The brothers started laughing and they kept teasing each other like this all the way to Resembool station. Al took in a deep breath of the warm country air once Ed had helped him out onto the platform. He felt lighter in a way. He knew that, even though he hadn’t planned on it, he was glad that he had come out to his brother this way. 

“You ready Al?” Ed asked, grabbing their suitcase and throwing over his shoulder.

“After you, Brother.”


End file.
